My Dead Friend Sarah

Jun 01, 2012 Anthea Carson rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a suspenseful story that takes you through a tour of the gritty rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous in New York City. The relationships that form in and around these rooms have a certain feel to them, and Peter captures this very well. These kinds of friendships have a certain transitory yet deep and profound nature to them. The trust between recovering alcoholics is nearly blind, and therefore, well, I don't want to say more or I will spoil the story. But the trust in and around those rooms c...more This is a suspenseful story that takes you through a tour of the gritty rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous in New York City. The relationships that form in and around these rooms have a certain feel to them, and Peter captures this very well. These kinds of friendships have a certain transitory yet deep and profound nature to them. The trust between recovering alcoholics is nearly blind, and therefore, well, I don't want to say more or I will spoil the story. But the trust in and around those rooms can be too blind.

Then there is the nature of alcoholics. They are self-centered and manipulative. They drag everyone else into their drama, and this is very well shown in this novel. The codependency of those around them; their friends, family and spouses live their lives vicariously through them. In this story, this is what happens to Max. Everyone around him either enables, tries to control, tries to change or martyrs themselves for Max. Max then feels all the guilt of what he's done to mess up other people's lives, but can't see that he is not responsible for their actions. This drama that is played out in so many homes and family circles is well illustrated in My Dead Friend Sarah. You just about practically want to step into the story and shake the characters by the shoulders and shout some recovery wisdom or plain old common sense to them.

I especially recommend this book to anyone who is in recovery, because it helps them to take a look at their own sobriety. What is it they want from their sobriety. Again, not to give a spoiler, I felt a deep sense of connection with the characters in this story, and related to what happened to them. I highly recommend this story, and think you will definitely find it worth your time to read. It is informative, in the sense that you get to know a new world, the underworld of the rooms of AA in New York City. It made me want to go to some of those meetings, and it made me feel as if I already had! It has a great story, a mystery, with a love interest, and plenty of twists and turns to keep you interested.(less)

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Apr 26, 2012 Becky Sherriff rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. *** Spoiler Alert *** THIS REVIEW GIVES AWAY THE ENDING!!!

Wow this book is really something special. I would like to add though that I do believe that this book would not suit everybody's taste because it is a different style of writing but I loved it.

Max is a recovering alcoholic and he has a dream, a girl is kidnapped and killed. He then sees the girl, Sarah in the street and stalks her so he can finally warn her of his premonition.

The story is written in three parts and is written in both Max...more

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Jun 04, 2012 Amye Brewer rated it 5 of 5 stars

I finished this book in two days over two weeks ago and I am still thinking about it. The story and the characters happily inhabit a space in your mind with no thought of leaving, and since one of the most sincere compliments I can give a novel is that it makes you think and feel then My Dead Friend Sarah is a winner. I loved the resemblance to what is real, but I questioned what is the truth? It made me reflect on , not just Max and Sarah's story, but my own. And finally, the writing is allurin...more

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Feb 09, 2013 Kara rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

So here's the thing. As another reviewer said, "this book isn't so much about a dead girl named Sarah as it is about an alcoholic named Max." My Dead Friend Sarah is technically a mystery, but really is about the protagonist's personal development (or unraveling, depending on your point of view).

Max, a raging alcoholic who has been sober for several months, has had recurring dreams of a woman he's never met being abd...more I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

So here's the thing. As another reviewer said, "this book isn't so much about a dead girl named Sarah as it is about an alcoholic named Max." My Dead Friend Sarah is technically a mystery, but really is about the protagonist's personal development (or unraveling, depending on your point of view).

Max, a raging alcoholic who has been sober for several months, has had recurring dreams of a woman he's never met being abducted and, in that way you "just know" things in your dreams, ultimately is killed. When he sees the woman he's been dreaming about, he's compelled to try to warn her.

Of course you can't just roll up on a stranger and say "hey, you're gonna die!" so he plans to get to know her, gaining her trust so that he can warn her, and hopefully perhaps even save her,or at least get clues about who might want to harm her. This is about the only good decision that Max makes. Max is one of those people who just makes outrageously bad decisions, and so his noble quest is complicated by his own utter lack of rationality.

It's hard to get into at first. It's told from alternating POVs between Sarah and Max, and also alternates between past and present. Max and Sarah appear to have very different takes on what they were to each other, complicating the story even more. And while at first you think you're reading to find out what happened to Sarah, ultimately, the book becomes a tale about Max trying - and sometimes failing - to be an adult in a world in which he constantly feels like an inadequate failure. It's also frustrating. Because while I found Max to be a fascinating character, I thought I was reading a mystery of some sort. So it took a while for me to appreciate this for what it's really was - a character study.

It's not for everyone. Sarah, IMO, isn't likeable. For most of the story, I found the best I could say about Max was that I didn't hate him. Max's wife, Rachel, I found hard to find sympathy for, because she seemed to play the martyr. But, as a character study, it works. Every character is flawed, dysfunctionally so, but their behavior isn't excused or downplayed. (Well Sarah does, but on some level she knows that a lot of what she's doing is BS).

What I appreciated is that the author doesn't try to force you to like or hate any of the characters, he leaves you free to reach your own judgments. Eventually I came to like Max, despite the frustration I felt at his decisions. He isn't whiny or full of excuses, he's just a guy who can't seem to get his shit together. And who among us hasn't been there?

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Jan 13, 2013 Lori L (She Treads Softly) rated it 4 of 5 stars

My Dead Friend Sarah by Peter Rosch is really about Max, a recovering alcoholic who is having repeated dreams about a woman being kidnapped and dying. He discovers the woman accidentally on the streets of NYC and begins clandestinely following/stalking her, sure that his dreams are a premonition of the future. He finds out her name is Sarah and ends up striking up a relationship with her, only to break it off in favor of his wife, Rachel. This doesn't stop Max from still following her, thinking...more

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Jul 10, 2012 Jo Anne B rated it 2 of 5 stars

The narrator alternated with each chapter between Max and Sarah. Max is a marrried, recovering alcoholic that dreams a stanger named Sarah gets kidnapped and then killed. He befriends her with the intention of telling her this so she can protect herself but she falls in love with him so he stops seeing her so he doesn't ruin his marriage. There is a whole police investigation and all.

I did not like Max, nor Sarah, nor Max's wife Rachel. Max spent the whole book giving us a lesson on how alcoholi...more

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Jun 17, 2012 Christina rated it 5 of 5 stars

My Dead Friend Sarah is very well written and is a fast read. The book is filled with so many twists and turns that it's hard to put down once you get started. I especially enjoyed the way the book was written, from the two main characters perspective.

Max, a recovery alcoholic living in New York , dreams of a young woman's kidnapping and death for months. It's just a bad dream until he sees the woman from his dreams.
Sarah, an event planner living in New York , doesn't have issues she has subscri...more

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May 28, 2012 Reid rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-sobriety

Only a drunk could write such an addictive book.

I wanted to hold out and make it last. I was on vacation and had 7 days. Based on the reviews this was a well written book, perfect for someone newly sober but still addicted to good thrillers. I wanted to savor the pages and spend the week enjoying the book. Mr. Rosch would not allow me to do that. Around page 39 this book gripped me, took hold of me like the third drink would do at a bar. And just like that, I spent the first day of my vacation w...more

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Aug 31, 2012 Lizzy Lessard rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, reviewed

This is not about a dead girl named Sarah. This is about an alcoholic named Max.

Overall: I think the title is misleading. I actually decided to read this book because I thought it was going to be a ghost story or at least have some paranormal/scary elements to it. The beginning was even more misleading because My Dead Friend Sarah starts with Max at the police station being drilled by a detective about his absurd defense – he knew that Sarah was going to die because he dreamed it months ago. The...more This is not about a dead girl named Sarah. This is about an alcoholic named Max.

Overall: I think the title is misleading. I actually decided to read this book because I thought it was going to be a ghost story or at least have some paranormal/scary elements to it. The beginning was even more misleading because My Dead Friend Sarah starts with Max at the police station being drilled by a detective about his absurd defense – he knew that Sarah was going to die because he dreamed it months ago. The book switches between first person POV between Max and Sarah, but Sarah’s POV happened prior to the start of the story so it is a little confusing. About halfway into the book, I realize that this book is definitely not what I thought it would be. It is a story about a recovering alcoholic. The actual mystery/death of Sarah is a sub-plot.

I know that the book is written in first person, but I hate that the entire story is “told” and not once do I feel like I’m “in” a scene. It feels like someone is remembering something that happened in the distant past and the writing felt lazy…thus, I was bored by scenes that should of been exciting. On a side note, this was a quick read that I felt compelled to finish despite its short-comings. I don’t know why. But because I wanted to finish the story to find out what happened, I couldn’t give this book any less than two stars.

Characters: There are surprisingly few characters in the novel for dual POVs. Sarah doesn’t have her own cast of characters – she has her mother and Max. No friends. Max has his wife, his AA sponsor Sam, and his lawyer Jon. Max is really lucky to have Rachel. He’s been the worst possible husband. He cheats on her. He’s an alcoholic, who actually hit her once. And she stays by his side. It’s a really unhealthy relationship for her, although I imagine Max would of ended up in the gutter if not for his wife by his side, which is why she puts up with him. I didn’t really get specific personalities for Jon or Sam – since they’re only revealed through what Max says and Max is very selfish and doesn’t give a crap about either of them. Max is unlikeable, but he is the highlight of the novel – compelling to read about like a car crash is to watch. Sarah is a pathetic woman that I didn’t care about or understand. Max stalked her every move. She knew about it and didn’t think that was creepy. WTF?

Plot: Max has dreams about Sarah. Max stalks Sarah. Max talks to Sarah. Max breaks Sarah’s heart. Sarah dies a month later and Max finds himself questioned by detectives. It’s not a bad plot, but it’s sometimes hard to follow between the dual narratives – who aren’t entirely truthful even to the reader. I really wish that there was more focus on the scenes and less on the ins and outs of AA meetings and philosophies. I felt like both Max and Sarah were trying to convince me that what they were doing was okay. Max because he was addicted and Sarah because she was in love. But I wasn’t convinced and I don’t like being preached to. Both Max and Sarah (death is no excuse) have major mental issues and need to see another therapist before narrating another book.

Ending: The last quarter of the book felt increasingly abstract and boring. Max battles alcohol when I wish he would battle Sarah’s killer. Max reveals near the end that he’s known Rachel for 10 years, but they’ve been married for 10 years…so did he not know her at all before they decided to get hitched? Doesn’t make sense. And the very end? Very open-ended. I felt very disappointed.(less)

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Jun 20, 2012 Shannon rated it 4 of 5 stars

I LOVED LOVED LOVED THIS BOOK!

Be Warned, I am not a skilled author, writer, critic, blogger nor a member of the self-proclaimed grammar policia! I am an average Jane that loves to read for pleasure. I choose books for all the wrong reasons (covers and titles). I am guilty!

Now with all of my credentials laid out, I will keep this simple. If you are into happy endings and lusting romance, RUN. No seriously, RUN FAST. This book is wickedly psychotic. For me, both main characters are unidentifiable....more

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Sep 25, 2012 Pragya rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, netgalley, own-kindle

2.5 stars

Things that go in favor of the book:-

1) It's catchy title which totally drew me in.

2) The pace of the book, I gobbled it up in one day.

3) The novel concept.

4) The interesting characters.

5) The surprise element.

What went wrong?

Well, I think the second half of the book stretches on and on. Perhaps I would have liked to know a little less of AA than the amount that is present in the book. I am not very sure of the saintly character of Max's wife, does a person like that exist? Really?

The e...more

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Feb 13, 2013 Jennie Hanna rated it 3 of 5 stars

First, thanks to netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Mr. Rosch has created quite a world around his two characters in My Dead Friend Sarah. I really enjoy the dual points of view and the fact that Max focus on the past, while Sarah begins after their "affair" has ended. The book has some great insight into the mind of an addict, which almost adds more to the angst leading up to what really happens to Sarah.

My favorite quote in the book concerns the element of storytelling and lying and ho...more

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Dec 29, 2012 Serena! rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: blog, netgalley

Ok, questa volta non è colpa mia!! E' vero che mi sono lasciata catturare dalla copertina.. Però ho anche letto e apprezzato la trama..!
Dunque, abbiamo Max, ex alcolista, che per mesi sogna il rapimento e l'uccisione di una ragazza. Un giorno la incontra e vuole conoscerla per metterla in guardia su ciò che le accadrà e sperare che la ragazza in questione, Sarah, non lo prenda per pazzo..
Giusto per correttezza, ho finito il libro perché l'ho richiesto alla casa editrice e mi sembrava doveroso sc...more Ok, questa volta non è colpa mia!! E' vero che mi sono lasciata catturare dalla copertina.. Però ho anche letto e apprezzato la trama..!
Dunque, abbiamo Max, ex alcolista, che per mesi sogna il rapimento e l'uccisione di una ragazza. Un giorno la incontra e vuole conoscerla per metterla in guardia su ciò che le accadrà e sperare che la ragazza in questione, Sarah, non lo prenda per pazzo..
Giusto per correttezza, ho finito il libro perché l'ho richiesto alla casa editrice e mi sembrava doveroso scriverne una recensione, altrimenti penso che sarebbe finito nel dimenticatoio..
La prima parte non è nemmeno tanto male, anzi: Max e Sarah parlano in prima persona a capitoli alterni e sebbene la storia inizi in medias res (con la polizia che interroga Max perché Sarah è effettivamente scomparsa), pian piano viene ricostruito tutto. Il problema, che inizialmente ho trovato un pregio, è il fatto che non c'è un minimo di ordine logico/razionale/temporale nella narrazione.. All'inizio la cosa ti spiazza poi diventa sempre più fastidiosa..
Un grande handicap è che -per loro stessa ammissione - i due narratori della storia sono dei bugiardi cronici a livelli olimpionici.. Insomma, dover sempre mettere in dubbio ciò che si legge è stressante! *_*
Prendere in giro così il povero lettore.. Che mondo crudele!
La seconda parte è proprio difficile da leggere senza cadere in uno stato comatoso irreversibile, giuro!
Il problema poi è anche nella trama: sinceramente, fa acqua da tutte le parti, è debole e soprattutto non meritevole delle duecento e passa pagine.
Sarah poi.. All'inizio mi ha fatto tenerezza e mi ha anche divertito, però poi.. Non so, inconsistente potrei definirla. Evanescente.. O più malvagiamente, inutile. Soprattutto quando a parlare è Max!
Per concludere la mia ditruzione del romanzo,

Ci sono però degli aspetti positivi in tutto ciò: in parte il protagonista Max: un ex alcolizzato, quindi non stra-perfetto e fighissimo (anche se poi questo aspetto cade facilmente, perché Max è inquietante -non saprei come altro descriverlo: dopo che non vuole più sentire Sarah, si mette a seguirla di notte peggio di uno stalker..); poi appunto c'è il fatto che si parli -senza nascondersi dietro buonismi vari- dell'alcolismo (e anche qui: grandioso! E' stata la prima reazione.. Poi dopo la miliardesima riunione degli AA mi sono chiesta se non stessi leggendo un loro opuscolo, piuttosto che un romanzo!). Per finire, ogni tanto ho trovato qualche pallido tentativo di ironia..

Possiamo lavorarci su, Mr Rosch!(less)

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Jul 09, 2012 Imogen rated it 3 of 5 stars

While I enjoyed the book, there were definitely some items which made me take back a star. For one, I felt like the book dragged on a bit--especially with the beginning, which seems contrary to most books. Secondly, while I enjoyed the ending, it was made obvious what will eventually happen when you're about 10 pages from the ending--don't do that! I want to hear the ending WHEN the ending comes, not 10 pages before it actually happens. Lastly, my mind seemed to zone in and out of the story at t...more

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Jul 29, 2012 Richard Hayes rated it 1 of 5 stars

NOTE: I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher. All that was asked was a honest review.

When I saw the blurp about this book when I requested it, I thought it might be either a paranormal/supernatural or murder mystery. When the book started with Max, the main character being interviewed by the police about a dream he had had about a girl named Sarah and had reported to the police months before where she had been abducted and maybe killed and it seemed she was missing and the poli...more

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Jun 03, 2012 Ashlea rated it 2 of 5 stars

I don't quite know what to make of this book. It was an intriguing story and I have never read a book quite like it. Both main characters are very damaged individuals and you get to experience a first-person perspective from both Max and Sarah. I was somewhat bored with the first half of the book as they are meeting one another and beginning their friendship. However, Part 2 moved much quicker for me, but was disturbing. As I said, I have never read a book quite like this, and that is mostly due...more

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Sep 03, 2012 Charlie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, net-galley

For the majority of the book I was thinking that perhaps Sarah was a figment of Max's imagination. I arrived at this during Sarah's talks with her therapist, Beth. Given the set up and alternating chapters it was plausible to think that perhaps this was all happening inside Max's drunk induced mind. However, that wasn't the only reason, and the more I read, the more I realized it was mostly due to the lack of change in 'voice' between characters that was giving me the impression that this was on...more

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Aug 10, 2012 Jessica rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2012, arc

* I received a free copy of this book on Net Galley

My Dead Friend Sarah is an odd book.
Before I started reading this I didn't know what to expect. The blurb was a little confusing to me. "Max...meets Sarah – the same woman that for years he’s habitually dreamt will die after a botched abduction." So Max abducted Sarah and then randomly meets her? He tried to abduct her then she escaped and he is hoping she will die? That is definitely not the plot but that is what the blurb initially had me thi...more * I received a free copy of this book on Net Galley

My Dead Friend Sarah is an odd book.
Before I started reading this I didn't know what to expect. The blurb was a little confusing to me. "Max...meets Sarah – the same woman that for years he’s habitually dreamt will die after a botched abduction." So Max abducted Sarah and then randomly meets her? He tried to abduct her then she escaped and he is hoping she will die? That is definitely not the plot but that is what the blurb initially had me thinking. Just a side note. Here's my real review:

Max, a recovering alcoholic, has a recurring dream about a girl being abducted and dying. Max manages to meet the girl from his dream, Sarah, in real life and proceeds to befriend her in hopes of eventually warning her of her impending death. Sarah ends up disappearing and of course Max is a suspect in the case. He's unable to explain to the police or anyone else how he knew what was going to happen to her. And then the story proceeds to go on in Max's twisted, drunken head.

The chapters are alternately narrated by Max and Sarah. I enjoyed the format and feel like it helped me to better understand what was going on on both sides. Unfortunately, other reviewers led me to believe that the story was leading up to something astonishing but all I felt was let down. For me, there was no real climax or resolution. The book was more about Max's addiction than Sarah actually disappearing. This became very apparent to me about 3/4 of the way through when every page was Max's rambling intoxicated thoughts.

Now I'm going to be nitpicky because I tend to pay a lot of attention to writing style. Rosch's author profile says he "favors the run-on sentence – the one thing for which he offers no apologies" so I get that he likes to babble but many of the sentences could be simplified. There were also a lot of odd recurring word choices that kept Max from sounding like a real person. Instead of saying "I don't have", Max would say "I've not". As in "...said he'd try my cell, but I've none." Max also uses words like albeit (repeatedly), thusly, and afoul. Who talks like that? No normal person I know. Maybe that's the sign of an alcoholic trying to appear overly-coherent but to me it was just annoying.

Overall, I got through My Dead Friend Sarah pretty quickly. It wasn't my cup of tea but I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in alcohol addiction and doesn't mind a self-loathing, rambling protagonist.(less)

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Aug 07, 2012 Theresa rated it 4 of 5 stars

I finished reading My Dead Friend Sarah. When I first read the title, I figured it would obviously be about ‘Sarah’ before she died. However, it wasn’t so much about her but about the role she played in the mind of the alcoholic narrator as she developed in his consciousness, or, rather, as his psychological outlook developed around her. At times, the story unfolded in a kind of stream-of-consciousness, especially in that the narrator reveals himself through his somewhat skewed mental/emotional...more

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May 06, 2012 Jaye rated it 5 of 5 stars

My name is _____ and I'm a twisted story addict. Not because I'm disturbed, but because I love to sink my teeth into something that can actually make me feel anything. As the typical NYT bestsellers too often lack the grit and substance I'm craving, what a warm and disturbing welcome it was to find "My dead friend Sarah".

With a huge pile of books I've started yet can't bring myself to finish, suffice it to say I'm a tough critic. Even recents from my book God, Chuck Palahniuk, have ceased to mak...more My name is _____ and I'm a twisted story addict. Not because I'm disturbed, but because I love to sink my teeth into something that can actually make me feel anything. As the typical NYT bestsellers too often lack the grit and substance I'm craving, what a warm and disturbing welcome it was to find "My dead friend Sarah".

With a huge pile of books I've started yet can't bring myself to finish, suffice it to say I'm a tough critic. Even recents from my book God, Chuck Palahniuk, have ceased to make the cut. Well hello, thriller. Peter Rosch's novel has the tremendous ability of sucking you into his dark little world from page one, but more importantly, keeping intensely interested throughout the journey. And what a wild trip it was.

His character development was so good, I wanted more. I could have easily absorbed 100 more pages on these two characters - Max and Sarah - each telling their stories through distinct and twisted voices. I was impressed how he deep he delved into the minds of these highly believable, often tortured, male and female characters.

I found myself feeling sorry for, repulsed by and endeared to each of these characters repeatedly, and found it brilliant the author was able to create such strong conflicting emotions towards both, confusing me as to who I was rooting for and what I was willing the outcome to be, from one chapter to the next. I often wanted to grab one or the other and shake some sense into them.

Max's character is a master of making excuses, not taking responsibilities for his actions or how they destroy the people that love him most, and living in a very controlled - or lack of controlled, as we learn - world of denial. If you've been in a relationship with or had a family member or friend that was an addict - as I have - it's an all too familiar story. Peter really brings to life the constant struggle and destruction this type of person can have on themselves and everyone around them. He demonstrates so accurately the ways in which a "dry" alcoholic can be worse than a sober one. And the lies addicts will continue to tell to convince themselves and others they really are doing the next right thing. Though one can empathize, you want to pull Max off this path before he brings everyone down with him. But as many of us know, that seldom happens until one hits rock bottom. Sometimes, hitting it again and again.

It's that special kind of love / hate novel worth putting all previous plans aside for, and tearing through the wee hours at warp speed, only to find yourself reading those last bits in slow motion. Both, because you'll be scared to know what happens, and because you never want it to end. Nevermind that this would be an impressive first novel by any author. It's a suspenseful, deep and emotional novel, period. Write, text or smoke signal your friends about this one. It's not to be missed.
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May 15, 2012 Mark Matthews rated it 5 of 5 stars

The premise of this novel, the characters, the set up, made me download with grand anticipation, and the novel did not fail to deliver. My Dead Friend Sarah is a smart and unique read that traces the thoughts of a newly recovering alcoholic who tries to respond in his new integrity-driven self to a reoccurring dream of a woman being taken captive. In trying to do the next right thing, the question is, has his sickness been squeezed right back out of him?

There's a million AA memoirs where the mai...more The premise of this novel, the characters, the set up, made me download with grand anticipation, and the novel did not fail to deliver. My Dead Friend Sarah is a smart and unique read that traces the thoughts of a newly recovering alcoholic who tries to respond in his new integrity-driven self to a reoccurring dream of a woman being taken captive. In trying to do the next right thing, the question is, has his sickness been squeezed right back out of him?

There's a million AA memoirs where the main character, in finally resisting those urges to drink, stays sober and his family rushes to his side, the music plays, and now that the drink is gone, they live happily ever after. Well, as many folks will tell you, the real craziness begins once the drink is put down. What do you get when a horse-thief stops drinking? Well, you get a sober horse-thief, as the saying goes, and if you have ever been "in the rooms' the authors descriptions of AA in the novel are incredible and worth a read by themselves.

The novel beings with a ping-pong of narrators between Max, the main character, and Sarah, the object of his bizarre dreams. The back and forth was fun, but as it went on, it did begin to get a bit tiring, mostly because I feared the whole novel would be this way, but just as it got too much Sarah disappeared and so did her narrative. The reader, like Max, is left wondering where she went.

The novel takes place in the mental topography of Max whose brain is a great place to visit. The more his thought processes began to spiral, the more the reader gets sucked in. It was like reading an Edgar Allan Poe story, trying to figure out if the main character is mad. You sort of think he's mad, yet you find yourself having empathy for his wild self-talk. The more I explored the terrain of his brain, the more I wanted to hear him think.

I kind of have an `in' with the topic, with my personal history of addiction recovery, working in the field of addiction, and writing my own novel of addiction. I'm thinking that if you have never waited for a liquor store to open then you would still love the novel, perhaps subtract a star, but if you are a Chuck Pahalniuk fan, add that star right back.

Ultimately, the real test of any book for me is my level of enthusiasm in reading. Did I eagerly look forward to those reading moments? Did I make extra time to fit in a page or two in between the rest of my living? Did I make sure to swing by and grab the kindle when nature called? This novel hit all of those. In fact, I dangerously gave my wife a hushing noise as she tried to ask me a question during the last pages. This novel is a great dish of work told by an untrustworthy narrator, and it is fed to the reader in great bite-sized morsels. (less)

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Nov 10, 2012 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kbr

This is, for me, best described as a quirky read. It’s very different to other books out there and the ending could be considered a little ambiguous.

The story follows Max, a recovering alcoholic who dreams about the abduction and death of a girl. He sees the girl and becomes obsessed with her, and she with him. She goes missing and he is implicated in her suspected murder (as he told the police about his dream).

The story is in three parts, the first part follows both Max and Sarah as their relat...more

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Sep 26, 2012 Cindy rated it 1 of 5 stars

Really hard to get through this one. Told in first person from two different viewpoints, Max and Sarah, it was hard to get through. Max, a recovering alcoholic, has been dreaming about Sarah and her death for a long time. Once he finally sees her and recognizes her from his dream, he stalks her until she asks him out. Four months later, Sarah has disappeared and her chapters disappear from the book. The reader is left wondering if Sarah ran off to make Max chase her, if she finally committed sui...more

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Sep 05, 2012 Erin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Overall ratting 3.5 out of 5 Stars.

What would you do if you held a premonition-like knowledge of someone's unfortunate demise? Not just someone, but a total stranger that you actually see one day on a street corner. Would you be the hero and attempt to save the day or would you chalk it up to chance and simply let fate play out as it is meant to, by way of your dream? Could you trust your premonition if it came in the form of a dream and you were a recovering alcoholic?

These are all questions,...more

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Apr 18, 2012 Michael rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: anyone who likes chuck palahniuk

this book is something special. it's a great premise, and extremely well thought out and well written. at no point was i bored, at no point did i have to go back and re-read something because i just wasn't paying attention - i was hung on every word. it took me no time at all to read, and not because it's short or dumbed down, it's just that interesting. i couldn't wait for little breaks in my day to pull out my kindle and get a little more in. if you like things like Fight Club, you can't go wr...more

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Aug 04, 2012 Christina Rumbaugh rated it 3 of 5 stars

A twisted tale about fucked up people. I really like stories like this.

Told in a sort of stream of consciousness, what happened to alcoholic protag Max's literal dream girl unfolds slowly. Sometimes it's a little painfully slow as the narrator occasionally lays out his theories and philosophies on being drunk and telling the truth while drunk, both to yourself and to the ones you love, in a redundant and tedious manner. As alcoholics tend to do, apparently. Part I has chapters from Max and his...more

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Aug 11, 2012 Criminal Reads rated it 4 of 5 stars

What I liked about this book:

I have to admit I really liked this book, but I also must admit this book is mostly for people that enjoy reading about what goes on in people's head and enjoy having everything you thought overturned.

Not much to say about this book without giving away the ending. You are thrown right into the minds of two people who don't know each other and then can't live without each other. Or CAN they live without each other?

You go into an alcoholics mind and live the struggles...more

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Sep 05, 2012 Sarah rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, review-copy, netgalley, 2012-cover-to-cover, mystery

This was an okay read for me.

The story revolves around an alcoholic, Max, and Sarah a woman he dreams about. Max is married and dreams about Sarah before meeting her. The story alternates chapters between Max and Sarah. It also shows the relationship between Max, his family members and members of alcoholics anonymous.

For me, I found the writing difficult to follow. I'm not sure if it was deliberate, but the timing didn't flow very well. The story seemed to jump backwards and forwards in time too...more

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Nov 01, 2012 Kimberly rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 52-books-in-52-weeks-2012

Max, a recovering alcoholic, finds a new obsession. Her name is Sarah, and he has seen her in his dreams, dead. Max approaches Sarah, at first to help her and warn her, but when Max breaks things off with Sarah, the lines between reality and fantasy are blurred. And Max will have to figure out how he can save Sarah, himself, his wife and his life from the mess he created.

The synopsis sounded intriguing enough and though I usually don't review self published books, I thought I would give this one...more

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Jun 19, 2012 Ariele rated it 5 of 5 stars

Not only was the story deeply engaging, but the writing style kept me hooked as well. The author has an uncanny ability to pull you through a sentence expecting one thing, only to surprise you at the end. I found myself entranced by the voice and sentence structure.

I won't reveal any spoilers, but I will say the tension and suspense of this book made it a thrilling read. And unlike many books in this genre, I didn't know how it would end until it did. Even though I was 100% satisfied with the w...more

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title link	preview: My Dead Friend Sarah
avg rating	preview: My Dead Friend Sarah Goodreads rating: 3.22 (122 ratings)
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13612472-my-dead-friend-sarah?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1335100810l/13612472.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13612472-my-dead-friend-sarah?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]My Dead Friend Sarah by Peter Rosch[/url]

My Dead Friend Sarah

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